Baby, It's Cold Outside
by MidoriEyes
Summary: Yuki gets fed up with Shuichi's constant whining about the holidays and throws him out. The novelist thinks he went to Hiro's house, but Shuichi does otherwise! And a cold front is threatening to come in that night! Cute little twoparter that I came up wi
1. Part 1

A/N: Well, here's a little Christmas fic. Actually, it's not really about Christmas, but in this fic it mentions how close the holiday is. It's a cute little idea I came up with one day. Nothing too special, but touching nonetheless. Hope you all enjoy!

**Part 1 **

A sigh resonated throughout the large flat. It was indeed a nice evening outside. The breeze was soft, the clouds blotched some parts of the sky, the temperature was comfortable… unfortunately, a little too comfortable for Shuichi. It was the middle of December and the weather was _still_ too warm! What was wrong with their ecosystem this year! It was winter. Wasn't this certain season supposed to be _cold_! Christmas would be here soon… what if it was still this warm by then! Anyone ever here of a warm Christmas?

"I think not!" The boy shouted at the window (which was supposed to have icicles hanging from it by now).

Yuki looked up slowly from the book he was reading and gave an irritated glare before asking, "What the hell are you whining about now?"

"It's sunny outside!" He stamped his foot.

"…And… that's a bad thing… why?" The blonde raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Because! It's December, Yuki! And during this time of year, the weather should be cold, not all summery!"

"So? Things like this happen. Remember that one day in summer when it snowed? Though I still can't comprehend why it did… but it just did, okay? So don't be surprised with something like this. All of your excitement is giving me a headache." He rubbed his temples.

"But… I want it to snow! You know, the small, white flurries that usually drift slowly from the vast of grey sky above?"

"Uh, yeah. I know what snow is." Yuki pondered to himself how Shuichi's vocabulary suddenly got more advanced over the last few minutes. I mean, didn't he just say "summery" a while ago?

"Sigh… what do I do?" The singer slumped hopelessly onto the floor.

"Nothing. Just wait."

"For what? With this weather, how could it turn cold anytime soon?"

"Personally, I'm not that fond of chilly weather." (shocking, coming from a guy with the artic heart). "In fact, I don't really care what our climate is, just as long as it doesn't keep me from writing."

Shuichi pouted.

"So it's probably a good thing that it isn't snowing, or else I'd have to deal with your incessant prancing about." The novelist went back to reading.

"Aww, Yuki. Why do you always have to be so negative about… well… everything!" He crossed his arms and stood in front of the man, glowering down at him.

"Ugh, Shuichi… do we really have to go over this again?" The author took off his glasses in annoyance.

"But I'm serious this time! You never look on the bright side of things! I mean, it's almost Christmas, and you won't even help me put up the decorations!"

"First of all, I don't have any decorations. Second, I don't do the holidays. You should know that by now."

"But couldn't you get into the spirit for once in your life? It isn't that hard you know. All you do is enjoy your friends and family and be happy!"

The writer shook his head. This headache was really getting to him. "In case you haven't noticed, my family and I don't exactly get along as well as we should."

"No, but your friends do! And me too!" He stated proudly.

"You don't count." Yuki stated plainly.

"What! What do you mean I don't count? I'm your lover, aren't I?"

"Exactly."

"Ugh! Yuki, you're being so stubborn! You're such a scrooge!" Shuichi pouted and kept rambling on about how cranky he was and why he didn't want it to snow.

"And you always have a different excuse every year! It's either, 'I have to go meet my editor', or, 'I have another deadline' when you already had one, like, a week earlier! It's making me wonder if your trying to stay away on purpose." He eyed the older man suspiciously.

A vein popped in Yuki's temples, the blood about ready to seep through his skin. This kid just wouldn't shut-up!

"And you didn't even come to the Christmas party that we held at NG last week! I know for a fact that you didn't have anything to do that day, but you still found some kind of excuse to skip it. It meant a lot to me, Yuki! I really wanted you to be there, but all you did was lay around the house like you usually do!"

Now Shuichi was going a little overboard. Probably caught up in the heat of the moment. But Yuki was also caught up in heat. A seething heat that rushed to his head in a fiery volcano of annoyance. His skull was about to erupt from the headache he was suffering from.

"And one more thing, Eiri Yuki-"

"Shut-up!" The novelist yelled clearly enough for the whole complex to hear him. "Can you not… give me a moments peace! It's always yelling, yelling, yelling… in my ear! Do you know how aggravating that gets! Probably not, since you're not the victim of it!" He stood up, the book falling from his lap. Shuichi just stared wide-eyed at him, a little stunned at the sudden outburst.

"Umm… Yuki?"

"Don't say another word, or I swear I'll-"

"But, Yuki, I didn't-"

In a split second, Shuichi found himself sitting outside the front door, flat on his butt and blinking. The author had kicked him out of the house.

"…Yuki? Um, Yuki, can I come back in?"

No answer.

"Yuki! Please, let me in! I didn't mean to get carried away! It's just that I had to get out what I was thinking at the moment before I exploded!"

'My head was about to explode, you damn brat.' The blonde thought to himself and plopped down onto the couch. On the other side of the door, he could hear Shuichi banging on the wood and calling his name.

"Yuki, please! I don't wanna be left out here!"

Still no answer.

"Please…" The boy mumbled silently, giving up all hope of ever getting back in. He slid down the door as small tears formed at the corners of his eyes.

'This isn't fair! He always tells me what he thinks of me, so why can't I do the same to him?' The singer scrunched up his face in frustration. "Just because he's cranky, doesn't mean I'm not sometimes." He folded his arms in a huff. "Great… Hiro said he'd be going out with Ayaka tonight… and I can't intrude on my families dwellings. Besides, my dad isn't too happy for me right now anyway." He said forlornly. "Sigh… what do I do?"

Inside the apartment, Yuki was enjoying one of his many cigarettes while watching the news on television. It was relaxing without a certain someone around the house. He wasn't sure how much more he could handle of the little punk. He hated how the only way to shut him up was to throw him out, but the baka had just taken his complaints a little too far this time… saying all that crap about how he was a 'scrooge' and always focused on his work… though that was partly true. Did Shuichi really think all that? Well, even if he did, it took a lot of courage for him to actually say all that straight to his face. It was an admirable trait to the novelist.

So, without further adieu, Yuki went back to reading the book he was so engrossed in.

Meanwhile, outside, Shuichi was still deciding on what to do. 'Hmm… the night is nice. Like I said, this winter is a warm one, and it's nightfall anyway, so…' The boy looked down at the spot he was standing in, shrugged, and sat in the corner of the entrance. 'I guess this'll have to do for now. It won't be a problem to sleep here and then go back in for the morning. It'll save me the trip from Hiro's house and I'll be warm for the night anyway.' All in all, it seemed like a good plan to the smart little Shuichi. He leaned his head back against the wall, gazed up at the stars, and sighed.

'Why does Yuki have to be so… pig-headed?' He pouted. 'Is there nothing that we can agree on? It's true! All he does is sit around and be a big ol' Scrooge all Christmas long. He doesn't even buy presents for his own siblings! What kind of guy doesn't like Christmas that much anyhow?' The vocalist scrunched up his mouth in an all-knowing way. "Obviously, Eiri Yuki." He answered his own question.

"Oh well… it's his fault if he doesn't have the holiday spirit. Though the weather seems to sympathize with him… stupid heat." After some more self-pondering, Shuichi's eye lids grew heavy, and he soon fell asleep against the warm concrete wall.

-------------

Inside, Yuki yawned and stretched. His eyes were sore from reading so late into the night and from lack of light. The only electricity on in the condo was the lamp beside him. He was almost done with the novel he was reading and wanted to finish is soon, but decided that his health was more important than his leisure. Shuichi taught him that… Yuki sighed quietly at the absence of his cotton candy-haired lover. The holidays were just too boring to spend by yourself. It was weird how he always got that feeling of emptiness and incompleteness when Shuichi wasn't there. But, since the novelist didn't want to ruin his nonchalant demeanor, Yuki stood up quickly, causing momentary dizziness, and headed straight for the bedroom. It would be another warm night, so he turned up the air conditioning again just in case. The TV was on from Shuichi's earlier watching, so the 10:00 o'clock news was on. Yuki had left his bedroom door open, unconsciously listening and changing into his sleep wear at the same time.

The news reporter on TV was stating some breaking news.

"And tonight, we'll be having cold weather folks. All traces of warm weather will be gone once this cold front hits Tokyo in about fifteen minutes."

"That's right Susan. Now we can finally get into the holiday spirit."

"I agre-" Yuki switched off the television.

"Tch. Great. Here comes the below 0 temperature." He mumbled, while walking back to his bedroom. In an instant, the author plopped down onto the mattress and pulled up some extra covers at the foot of his bed for the oncoming weather that night. "I hope it doesn't snow." He grumbled unhappily to himself. The last thing he needed this Christmas was to shovel the white powdery stuff off his drive way.

After a moment of silence, no sheets rustling, if there was breathing it was seldom, and all the lights turned off, Yuki started thinking about his baka.

"Well, at least he has a warm place to stay tonight… not like he would here." Yuki turned over onto his side and fell asleep soon after, unaware of the deeper meaning behind his own words.

Outside, Shuichi shivered at the small gust of cool wind that brushed up against his skin, as the sky began to darken from a blanket of grey clouds forming on the horizon.

-----------------O----------------

End Part 1

A/N: Well, the next (and last) part will be up soon, so no worries! Hope you all like it so far. Please review nicely! And Merry Christmas! Er… soon to be Christmas (pout)… La-dee-freakin'-da! I'm still excited about it anyway! So let's deck the halls and roam the malls! Cause Christmas is here, so spread the cheer dang it! All of you tell that to someone who is acting as Scroogy as Yuki, kay? It'll either get them to shut-up, or you'll receive a big smack in the face… But hey! At least you're TRYING to spread the cheer, right? That's better than not doing it at all! I will then be proud of you, my friends. (sniff). Anyway, see yall in the next chapter! Look forward to it!


	2. Part 2

-1A/N: Alright! Next and last part. This'll be a touching chapter, so brace yourself! And, if you guys like the ending, I could consider doing a lot of little drabbles like these in another fic. I've always wanted to do a series of those… I don't know how many it'll be, but I'll figure that out later. Some of them may have more than one part, but that's okay. I don't know when I'll be starting it (or if I'll be starting it at all) because I've still got TONS of other fics to finish and update first. But I am a pretty big multitasked, so I guess I could start soon. Give me your opinions on this idea people! OK, next part!

**Part 2**

The next morning, Yuki woke up all snug and warm under his layer of bed sheets. He hadn't bothered to set the alarm clock last night since it was now the weekend. The neon green numbers said 9:00. The man couldn't even remember the last time he slept in that long. He was always so busy with work and deadlines that it was like he didn't have time for anything… not even Shuichi. Though he was reading a book last night and _could_ have spent a little time with his lover. Was it laziness? Yuki didn't know. But all of a sudden, he wanted his pink ball of energy by his side right then. Oh well. He'd come back later today.

Yuki sat up in bed, shook his head to rid himself of the light-headedness he felt, and made a beeline for the bathroom. It was either the kitchen or the restroom every morning when he got out of bed, and today he picked the restroom. There, he did his business, cleaned up a bit, and headed for the kitchen next. After having a light breakfast of coffee and a bagel, the novelist turned on his lap top and went to retrieve his mail while the computer was loading on. As he was walking through the hall way to the living room, the man pondered over why Shuichi hadn't come over before he awoke. That was usually the case whenever he kicked him out. The boy would be straight over at 8:00 in the morning from Hiro's house and cling to Yuki like his life depended on it, asking for forgiveness every single second until the Yuki gave it. Though the author didn't know why his lover would be the one doing the apologizing, seeing as he was the one who never did anything wrong. Unlike Yuki himself…

'Maybe he went out with Hiro for the morning. It is the weekend.' He logically reasoned out in his head. It was a good enough possibility for him, so he let the subject drop.

Yuki turned the front door handle, and stepped outside into the crisp, cold air. The news forecasters were right. It was a bit chilly out that day. And chilly was definitely an understatement.

"Kami-sama it's cold!" He shivered lightly to himself, rubbing his arms up and down. The newspaper was right next to the mail box, which was convenient. The blonde strode over to the sidewalk, picked up the bag, and fished out the mountains of bills and fan mail he had. Shuichi got some too. There were a few junk mails that Yuki would instantly throw out and one Christmas card from his great aunt in Kyushu. It was rare to get a card from her at all. Maybe it was her last moments on earth or something.

'Good. The less relatives, the better.' He hardly even knew his great aunt anyway.

With the twist of an ankle, the novelist made his way back toward the complex, sorting through the rest of the mail at the same time, and stopped at the front of the door when he dropped a piece.

"Oops." Yuki bended down to pick it up, and noticed something colourful out of the corner of his eye.

"What the-?" He slowly looked up, hearing small breathing coming from whatever it was, and was stunned to what he found.

In the corner of the wall to the entrance was a little snow-capped bundle of pink, shaking violently from the biting cold around it. The hands that attempted to cover the tiny body lying against the wall failed miserably for warmth. Puffs of icy breath came in short huffs from the frozen, blue and chapped lips. The objects cheeks were rosy red with the cold, and it's toes were so blue they looked like big bruises.

Yuki's eyes grew the size of saucers once he focused on who it was.

"Sh…… Shuichi…?" The man's eyebrows furrowed in confusion and bewilderment, his heart thumping irregularly, and his body as stiff as a log. This human icicle on the ground… was Shuichi!

Immediately, the writer dashed down to the shivering singer and shook his shoulders roughly. "Shuichi? Shuichi, wake up! What the hell are you doing out here!" Yuki inquired, but there was no answer. "Shit! The novelist cursed, and called to him once more, but ended up with the same results. He then checked Shuichi's temperature, but couldn't tell if he was sick or not because his skin was so cold. After a few seconds of wondering what to do, Yuki decided that it would be best to actually get him out of this freezing weather. Briskly, yet carefully, he picked up the boy and carried him inside, shutting the door behind him with his foot.

The first things Yuki did was lay Shuichi on the couch, and turn up the thermostat to eighty degrees. He didn't care how hot he got, just as long as he could restore Shuichi's body temperature back to its original level.

The next thing to do was grab some blankets… or maybe a LOT of blankets and smother the boy with them. Yuki took every sheet, comforter and quilt he could find within the containments of his home and lay them atop the vocalist. The blonde then found an old heater he used in the bathroom during winter season and put it on the coffee table, adjusting it so it would blow on the boy.

Last, was the warm cloth, which Yuki delicately put on Shuichi's head. This way, he could check his temperature when he warmed up.

After many trips around the house, Yuki settled down onto the sofa at the head of his lover, and stared at him, gathering all thoughts and questions that were mauling his mind.

"………" He sat speechless at first. "…… How the heck?… Why was he outside?" The novelist voiced to himself out loud. "Why didn't he go to Hiro's house? That's what he usually does, right? Was he out there ALL night!" This thought amazed Yuki, and scared him too. The cold front that came in was a nasty one, and there was Shuichi, sleeping outside in the middle of it all until dawn.

"Didn't he have enough common sense? It IS winter! Why couldn't he realize…" And then, he understood. Shuichi hadn't seen the news. Yuki had kicked him out before then. He hadn't known about or even heard about the cold front. He was totally oblivious to how cold it would have gotten that night.

"Damn…" Yuki rubbed his temples. "Then why didn't he go to Hiro's anyway?" He pondered the many reasons why. Well, it was the holiday season, and people were out of town these days and going out a lot. Maybe Hiro was gone for Christmas? It was most likely. Why else would Shuichi not go?

"I just can't believe… he slept there all night… just waiting for it to be morning, and come back in." Yuki shook his head at the boy laying on the couch before him. Did Shuichi really love him that much? So much that he'd risk being discovered in the next ice age? Though he didn't know about the sudden change in weather…

After a moments calculation, Yuki put his hand to the boy's forehead. Though he was still extremely cold, Yuki could tell how hot he was through the skin.

"Shit." The man went and got the thermometer to make sure he was right about Shuichi's condition. He got back and slipped the cold glass rod into the boy's mouth.

Shuichi's nose and ears were as red as cherries, which greatly contrasted to his abnormally pale skin at the moment. The blood in his body must have been frozen solid! Or at least it had gotten thicker overnight, because it didn't seem to be flowing regularly when Yuki checked the boy's pulse. Shuichi was asleep, but partly unconscious as well. Who could blame him! He just survived below freezing weather… in shorts and a sleeveless shirt only! Yuki was amazed that the singer could still _shiver_ for all matter! His skin was like touching dry ice (which isn't too pleasant to touch, mind you). Even his breathing was ragged from the intense cold. Yuki remembered that happening to him once before.

He was running outside with his brother when they were younger, playing tag. Yuki was "it" so he had to chase his speedy little sibling all over Central Park in New York. After at least 30 minutes of chasing, Tatsuha had escaped somewhere and Yuki couldn't find him, but kept running anyway. It was in the middle of winter, and soon Eiri collapsed because of lack of oxygen. The cold air had nearly frozen his lungs and slowed down his breathing a lot. The young Uesugi boy had to be taken to the hospital by Tohma while Tatsuha was being scolded for something he didn't do by his father. Yuki still didn't like how his brother was blamed for it. Their father was just a stubborn old prick and was too worried to think straight at the time.

Yuki shook his head. This was no time to be reminiscing about the past! Shuichi was freezing to the bone here!

When he got the results from it, Yuki was less than pleased.

It read 104 degrees.

That was too close to the point of becoming fatal, and Yuki knew that.

In a flash, the author reached for the phone, and called his doctor. He said he would be over in a couple of minutes. In the meantime, Yuki picked up his sick lover, and transferred him to the bedroom. Pulling up a chair, the novelist sat down and took the smaller hand in his, regret written all over his face.

"I'm sorry Shuichi. I should have known… that something like this would happen." He said to himself since his lover was "asleep". "I shouldn't have kicked you out in the first place anyway. That's a habit that I really need to lose." He chuckled to himself. "I promise, I'll make it up to you soon, okay? Once you're all better." The blonde lowered his head in shame. "Though I don't see how you'd want to spend time with me anymore after what I've done to you…"

Shuichi's body just lay there, his breathing still a little rusty.

"Just… get better soon, okay baka?" The novelist looked up, frowning. Shuichi's eye brows were knitted in pain and a hidden sadness.

After a moments silence, Yuki stated to himself, "I such a jerk." Of course, he'd known that for a long time, but never would admit it to Shuichi, let alone himself, until now. And with that, he laid down beside the bedridden boy and wrapped his arms around him, determined to make him warmer from his own body heat. They say it's the best way to regain someone's normal temperature. He tucked the singer's head under his chin and kissed the pink head, trying to calm the boy of his shivering. Why did this have to happen to Shuichi? It would be a lonely Christmas without him pestering Yuki and running around with gifts. Hopefully this illness wouldn't last _that_ long.

----------O----------

The doctor had done some procedures necessary when checking any patient: checked his pulse, listened to his breathing, shone a light in his ears and eyes, and swabbed his throat. Luckily the kid wasn't awake for that part, otherwise he would have protested greatly. Yuki stood patiently behind the man in the white coat and prayed all the while that something could be done about his lover's wan state.

After much consideration, the doctor turned around, and said while cleaning his glasses with a handkerchief, "Well, he has a pretty high temperature. It's common around this season, but isn't too welcoming among people." He put his glasses back on and adjusted them to his liking. "It's rare for a boy his age to have something like this. How did he get so sick?"

Yuki's guilt grew. "He… he stayed outside late last night for too long."

"Ah, yes. That cold front that came through. That was a doozy, wasn't it? Below freezing, right?"

"Yes."

"Mm-hm. I have a lot of patients that do that sort of thing. Think they're invincible and can't get sick, or something. And the next day they end up at my office." The doctor shrugged and got out his medical chart, jotting a few notes down, probably about Shuichi's condition.

"Is it anything… serious?" Yuki asked hesitantly.

"Hm? Well, it depends on whether you consider a 104 degree temperature serious." He laughed a bit.

"I mean…" Yuki said, irritated. "… is it fatal, or is it pneumonia, or…"

"What? Oh no! Nothing like pneumonia!" He smiled and waved his hand in assurance.

"Good." That's all Yuki was seriously worried about.

"But… if he isn't cared for properly, it could be even more fatal than it is now."

Yuki looked at him dangerously. "But I though you said it wasn't fatal."

"Yuki-san. A temperature that's 105 degrees or above is fatal, but I'm afraid to tell you that… this boy's temperature is rising slowly.

The author stood stone still, and glanced quickly at the half-sleeping form of his lover on the bed.

"Why… is it rising?" He asked, his voice almost giving way.

"Well, now that he's finally starting to warm up, his body is processing how sick he really is, and the thermometer is the proof that goes with it. If it keeps going up like that, he could be at the fatal point." The doctor said sadly.

Yuki had to have time to generate what was just said. Shuichi… may die?

"How can I stop this from happening!" He asked, his voice a little louder than before and filled with desperation.

The doctor walked over to the thermostat. "Well, you could start by turning down the temperature in here before you do that to the boy." He changed it. "It's like boiler room in here!" The man loosened his coat a bit.

"But… Shuichi needs to warm up."

"Oh, he's been warmed up now for quite a while, and if you keep it like this, of course his temperature will keep rising. Whenever you have a patient like this young man here, keep the area at room temperature at all times. Never adjust it higher or lower than that. Trust me, it sounds wrong, but the body will become calmer because of this. Changing the temperature too drastically when he is that cold could damage him."

"I see." Yuki nodded.

"Also, you may have all the sheets and blankets on him, but leave the comforter off his body at least half way, otherwise all the heat could suffocate him, and we don't want that since he's already having trouble breathing."

"Okay. Anything else?"

"Mmm… oh! Don't feed him any cold foods. That'll make him shiver and bring his flare his temperature once more. Give him only hot or luke warm foods. Something like the common soup would do just fine."

"Alright."

"Good. Now, I'm going to give you two different medicines for him to take on a daily basis. This one…" He holds up the orange, transparent bottle with light blue pills in it. "… is for any pain, nausea, or discomfort he might be feeling during this whole ordeal." He handed it to Yuki. "Give two to him in the morning and at night. Feed him a little something before he takes it first, otherwise he will feel nauseous." The doctor then pulled out and gave another orange medicine bottle to the writer. "This one is for the overall illness. It will help him breath better day and night, and lower his temperature until he gets better. It'll fight off whatever nasty little sickness he's got in there. Give one tablet a day to him, preferably after he eats breakfast. Oh, and each pill you give him must be served with warm mild or cider. Never give him anything cold to down it with."

"What about water?"

"He can drink that, since it's a vital part to becoming well again. Besides, a good percent of his body is made of water, so it couldn't hurt him." He said matter-of-factly. "So do make sure he drinks that a lot as well. He needs the fluids." After a few more helpful tips to Shuichi's recovery, it was time for the doctor to make his leave.

"Okay. Thank you doctor."

"No problem. I'm getting a lot of house calls nowadays since it's the colder season and people don't want to worsen themselves by walking outside."

"How much do I owe you?"

"Don't worry about that right now. You've got too much on your hands right now to be thinking of that. Just pay me when he's all better again."

"Are you sure?"

"I haven't had a patient yet who hasn't kept to his word about it. Or you could just mail it to me. Here's my address." The man pulled out a business card and gave it to him. "Just call if you have any question either, and I'll come straight over as soon as I can." He turned around and headed to the living room. The blonde followed.

"Thank you." Yuki bowed slightly.

"Oh, you don't have to do that! I'm used to this kind of stuff. It's my job after all." The doctor smiled.

"No, I… really want to thank you. You don't know how much this means…" He couldn't finish the sentence. He was already emotional enough as it was and he didn't need the doctor to see it.

"You're very welcome, Yuki-san. Oh! And one more thing!" He said before closing the front door. "Give him a foot massage sometime. I'm afraid he caught some minor frost bite on his toes, and I'm sure it aches." And with that, the man left.

Yuki stared at the door for a moment, then walked back to his bedroom. He came up to the boy's side and decided he liked to stare at him more than at the front door. It seemed that Shuichi's breathing had calmed a bit, yet was still a little off. His skin wasn't so pale anymore, but his nose was still pink just from being sick in general. At least his hands weren't numbly cold anymore like they were when Yuki first brought him in. The room had cooled a bit, but to a comfortable level. Unfortunately, the singer's temperature hadn't gone down since the last time he checked, making Yuki sigh in exasperation. How long would this last? How long would his lover have to suffer under the cold clutches of his illness? He never liked seeing the boy in pain (unless it was inflicted by the blonde himself in a playful manor), and this was more than he could take. So, it was time for the rock star to take his first pill. The pain pill seemed logical at the time, so Yuki heated up a cup of apple cider, and had Shuichi drink it along with the light blue tablet. He could hardly swallow, but it went down luckily. A sigh of relief came from the novelist as he sat back in his chair to rest. All this worrying made him a tad tired, though he knew he couldn't sleep. Shuichi's health was more important right now.

Soon, the grumbling of his tummy told him that it was breakfast time. This was good also because Shuichi still had to take his second medicine, which required him to eat food first. Yuki picked up his lanky body and trudged toward the kitchen in search for some morning grub.

Shuichi couldn't eat hard things like toast, so he'd have to settle for cereal and eggs. These food s would slide real easy down his throat. Even though the milk that goes along with the cereal was cold, it wouldn't disturb the singer's state any further. The doctor mentioned that to him earlier.

Yuki whipped up a bowl of oatmeal instead of cereal for fear of the hard bits would hurt Shuichi's throat, and some scrambled eggs. For himself, he made sunny side-up eggs and some rice. He then brought the boy's breakfast in the bedroom and started feeding it to him carefully.

"There we go… okay. No spills. That's good." He congratulated himself. But on the last bite of scrambled egg, Shuichi choked and began coughing.

"Aw, crap!" Yuki cursed himself and patted his lover's back in comfort until he stopped coughing. After the fit was over, the blonde was holding Shuichi's body close to his, letting him lean into him. He then gave the vocalist some water to clear his throat. His breathing was ragged again, but it didn't last too long.

"Hm. Stupid brat. You gotta chew before you swallow." Even though oatmeal wasn't exactly something you had to chew… After breakfast, Yuki gave him the tablet he was supposed to take. If only the medicine could go into effect instantly…

For the rest of the time, Yuki sat on the bed next to Shuichi, lap top in hand, and began typing a new story line for his upcoming book. It would be due in January, so he might as well have gotten started on it then. The brat wasn't able to bother him, though it wasn't necessarily a good thing regarding the current situation he was in. After having written at least 50 pages of his new novel, Yuki turned off his computer and set it down on his desk. Once he checked his lover's temperature again, it had gone down only slight, which made the author twitch. When the hell was this medicine going to take affect!

Later that day, a number of people called, including Tohma who was just checking up on him, Hiro who wanted to see if Shuichi could go out that afternoon (Yuki made up an excuse saying that he was busy working on his new lyrics), Mika who did her daily bickering, and Eiri's editor to confirm something about the new book. Lunch had gone a little better for him and Shuichi. No one choked on anything, and the boy's temperature hadn't gone up anymore.

The novelist had nothing else better to do, so he decided to go out shopping for some strawberry pocky. Shuichi would probably want some after waking up (whenever that was).

"I'll be back, brat. Don't go anywhere." He smiled softly and brushed some hair out of the singer's face. After which he left.

----------O----------

'It's warm… really warm. I don't remember being this warm a while ago… wha-?" Shuichi drearily opened his heavy-lidded eyes, adjusting to the blur at first. A dim light was emitting from the lamp beside him on the bed table, which allowed him to see his surroundings.

'Is this… Yuki's bedroom? But when did I get here?' Shuichi blinked groggily and looked to each side of him. No one was in the room except him. He attempted to rise, but felt a wave of ache come over his small body.

'Oh… I feel like I've been hit by paintball guns a thousand times over…' He fell back down and put a hand to his forehead in pain. 'Hm? My head… it feels hot… but why?' Shuichi recalled the recent events that had happened earlier. He remembered being inside with Yuki… it was a warm day for winter, and he started complaining about it… to Yuki no doubt. Then, the guy threw him out. Ah, yes. He remembered that part quite well.

'But… what happened after that?' It was hard to think at the moment due to the mind-numbing fuzziness he felt. Was it something he ate?

Once more, the pop star struggled to get up. At first he felt woozy and almost fell over, but regained his balance just in time to stumble toward the door.

'What's wrong with me?' Shuichi hobbled toward the living room, intent to find an explanation for his condition. Unfortunately, there wasn't anyone in this room either. The vocalist pouted. Where was his Yuki? Maybe he could tell him why he felt so… sick? Was that it? He hadn't caught anything like this in a long time, so he didn't remember how it felt to be ill. Then how did he catch it?

"Wait… when I was kicked out, what did I do?" He thought to himself. He didn't go to Hiro's house since he was away… and he didn't even consider going to anyone else's house, so……

Then it hit him.

"Did I stay out in front of the apartment… all night?"

----------O----------

Yuki pulled up into the drive way, parked, and turned the ignition off. He grabbed the groceries in the back of his car, and headed up to the entrance. Once he glanced at the front door, a momentary relapse hit him like a train. Shuichi, shivering unconsciously, in the corner of the doorway, icicles practically growing off his skin. The thought nearly caused him a heart attack, and that's when he realized that the image in front of him was real… well, partly real.

"Sh-Shuichi?" Yuki stuttered.

"Hm?" The younger man looked up and blinked. "Yuki! You're back!" He smiled gleefully and ran towards the novelist. Yuki just stared at him like he was the 8th wonder of the world.

"Wh-what are you doing out here!" He yelled unintentionally.

"Well, I woke up and you weren't there, so I looked around to see where you went. Then I was wondering to myself, how did I get so sick? So here I am, trying to remember what happened to me, and then you show up!"

The writer stood there, speechless, until he realized something. "What are you doing out of bed!"

"Huh? Wha-"

"Do you know that you have a 104 degree temperature! How can you even think of being out here in the cold when you're so sick!" The blonde ushered the pink-haired boy inside.

"B-but Yuki!"

"Shush! You are going straight back to bed!" He ordered. But the vocalist had more to say.

"Wait a minute! What is going on here!" He stomped his foot. "I wake up, you're not there, I find out all of a sudden that I'm sick, and then you come home shouting at me like it's the apocalypse! I demand to hear an explanation!" The author was taken back by his outburst. "I mean, how did I get sick in the first place? I don't remem… remember anything…" Shuichi's vision became hazy, and it wasn't too many seconds later that his legs gave way as he hurtled toward the floor.

"Ah!" Yuki let out a small sound of surprise and caught him haphazardly with his arms. "Idiot! You're still not feeling well. You can't just go shouting at the top of your lungs like that!" The author picked him up and carried him toward the bedroom. Shuichi drowsily put his arms around his lover and snuggled his head into the crook of his neck, moaning because of the achy feeling throughout his body. "Hn. Baka." Yuki half returned the loving gesture and rubbed his cheek against the boy's hair.

After setting him down gently on the mattress, the blonde handed Shuichi the glass of water on the nightstand, watching him carefully in case the singer choked at all.

"So." Shuichi broke the ice. "What exactly happened to me? I don't remember…"

"Tch. You really are an idiot." The singer pouted at that statement. "You… you stayed out all night last night, in front of the house, sleeping there like it was your natural habitat! What had gotten into you? Was Hiro not home or something?"

"Well, no. He wasn't. I remember because he told me he wouldn't be."

"Then why didn't you go somewhere else?"

"I didn't want to bother anyone!"

"It's winter Shuichi. The below 0 degree weather season. Did that fact even cross your mind at all?"

"Well, it had been warm all these days this December that I didn't think… wait. Did it get cold overnight?"

Yuki sighed. "Yes, it did. The news said so. A cold front had come in while you were all supposedly snuggled up outside my door."

"Oh… I guess I didn't see it."

"Obviously." He said a little too accusingly.

"Mm…" Shuichi looked down like a kicked puppy. Oooh, that got to Yuki bad.

"I'm sorry, Yuki. I should've had more sense. And… and I shouldn't have been complaining about everything either. I guess it was kind of childish of me." The boy shrugged and tried to chuckle, but felt the situation too inappropriate.

The novelist's guilt came back full force. Why was he blaming this on the kid? It was his fault this all happened in the first place.

"No, Shuichi. I…" He would have trouble saying this. After all, the great Eiri Yuki wasn't the best at doing apologies.

"I shouldn't have thrown you out. I guess that was kind of childish of _me_." He rubbed his hands together nervously. "If I hadn't, then you wouldn't have gotten sick."

"But-"

"And don't try to deny it. This whole thing wouldn't have started if I wasn't so…" Yuki reconsidered insulting himself for a moment…

"Pig-headed?" Shuichi answered for him.

"Uh, yeah. Sure." He nodded slightly.

"And self-centered?"

"Um, I guess…"

"And self-absorbed, and arrogant, and cruel, and uncaring, and-"

"Okay, okay! I get it already!" He shouted above his rambling lover.

The boy giggled. "I'm just kidding Yuki." He smiled sweetly.

But once the older man thought about it, he had been acting like all those things to Shuichi lately… hell, he's been acting like that throughout their whole relationship! He would just never come to terms with it.

"No, you're right. I haven't been treating you right from the beginning."

"Aw, Yuki…" On the inside of Shuichi's mind: 'You just figured that out _now_?'

"And I guess it's a little late for an apology or whatever…"

"Yuki." Shuichi reached his hands up to his lover's face. "It's not too late. We're still together, right? And it's not your fault entirely that all this happened." He shrugged. "As you know, I'm not the smartest guy in the world, and I'm sorry if that bothers you. Even I'm surprised that you've stayed with me this long. I don't have many old friends from high school or anything because…. Well, I guess that they couldn't stand me." He laughed lightly.

Yuki stared at him with some disbelief. Who could ever not stand Shuichi? Well, okay, he had to admit that sometimes he was a pain, but…" Yuki shook his head. "Shuichi…" He started. "Let's just. Put all this behind us. Fact is, we're both sorry for whatever we did."

"Yeah, you're right. It's both of our faults!" He chirped.

"No, no, it's nobody's fault. I'm just…" He paused. The boy looked at him curiously.

"Yuki?" He said questioningly.

"I'm just glad that… mmrrmmrm…"

"Huh?"

"I said mmrrmmrm…"

"What Yuki! I can't understand you!" Shuichi shouted.

"I said I'm glad you're alright!" He yelled, and got a little pink around the cheeks.

"……" Shuichi stared at him. "… Well of course you would be!"

"Huh!"

"I'm your lover! Why wouldn't you be glad I'm okay? I know I would be worried if you were sick."

"Uh… huh…" 'Uh, okay? Isn't he supposed to glomp me and drool all over my face with wet kisses?' Wondered Yuki.

"And don't worry Yuki, I know that when you're angry at me for doing stupid and dangerous things, you're only showing your concern for me." He smiled innocently.

Yuki got the hint how the boy was teasing him. "Why you little brat." He smirked and ruffled his lover's hair. Shuichi laughed.

"But seriously Yuki… you were really worried about me?"

"Hey, like you said. You're my lover. Why wouldn't I be worried?"

"But you could just be saying that to cheer me up!" He wined.

"But you said it too."

"Wha-… hey! You twisted my words!"

Yuki chuckled at the singer's obliviousness.

"Yukiiiiii!"

The novelist placed a kiss upon the boy's forehead and pulled him close into a hug, rendering Shuichi speechless until he relaxed into his lover's arms. After a second or two, Yuki pulled back and smiled. "Your temperature has gone down. I guess that medicine is really working. Thank goodness. I was getting tired of taking care of a brat like you."

"…Yuki…" Shuichi stared up at him starry-eyed. "I love you."

"Yeah yeah, I know. Now, stay in bed! You still have to recover." Yuki got up and headed for the kitchen. "I'll make you some dinner."

"Yuki, wait!" The boy called to him. The blonde turned around. "Ummm… thank you… for taking care of me."

The author gazed at him and smiled. "Any time, brat." Then he left, a smile still gracing his face.

"Hey, uh… can I have a kiss here too?" He pointed to his lips.

"Hell no! I don't want to catch what you've got!"

"Aww…"

----------O----------

"HI YUKI!" Shuichi yelled happily while latching onto the writer's back.

"Hey. You seem to be all better. How do you feel?"

"Great! I could actually sing properly today at work!"

"Well, this was your first day back."

"Oh yeah… that's right!" He kissed his lover's face, causing the older man to smile for the third time that season.

"You should do that more often."

"Do what?"

"Smile! You'd look a lot better if you did. Otherwise people will think your sick!"

"I already am."

"What! Oh no! Did you catch my cold!"

"No. I got something much worse."

"Well what is it!"

"You." He grinned evilly.

"What! Yuki, that's mean!" He hit the novelist playfully.

"Get used to it, brat." 'Besides, I didn't say it was a bad thing.' "Cause you'll be hearing that for a loooong time."

"A loooong time? You mean…"

'Sigh… here we go…'

"We'll be together forever! Oh Yuki! Are we getting married!"

"No baka!"

"It's so romantic Yuki! So you'll let me stay here with you? For all of eternity! That's so sweet!" He squeezed his lover tight.

"Get off me! That's not what I meant!" He tried to pry him off, but to no prevail. Though the idea didn't sound like a bad idea at the time, Yuki would officially tell Shuichi about their plans for the future later.

"Yuuuukkiiiiiiiii!"

_Much_ later.

A/N: Phew! I got it done before Christmas! I hope you all liked the ending. Sorry if it was too rushed. Even I thought there wasn't enough fluff. Though it's hard to do that without getting them out of character. But oh well! I had to get it done. Merry Christmas everyone on And a happy holidays! I also hope you all have a very Gravitational Christmas as well! I know I will. Yes, that was corny. But oh well!


End file.
